Tankless Water Heater Facts

Tankless water heaters are a great way to decrease your energy bill as traditional hot water heating systems do use a lot of energy. Typically keeping a tank of water constantly hot is about 30% of your energy bill. Tankless water heaters are a great way to reduce your energy costs and is a very efficient way to use energy.

Instead of being heated in a tank and kept at that hot temperature a tankless water heater only heats up water through a heat exchanger when the hot water is demanded. Because of this these heater are also called on demand or instantaneous heater. Electric tankless water heaters can be used for dishwasher, to boost solar heating, pool shower, outdoor sinks, remote BBQ’s, hot tubs, remote bathrooms and pool houses.

There are two basic models currently available a gas tankless water heater or an electric tankless water heater. Each type of tankless water heater has specific requirement and you need to determine which type your house can handle or if you need to make any changes. Electric models will require certain voltages, amperage and its own circuit breaker. A gas model needs to have proper ventilation.

An important consideration is what you want the tankless water heater to do. Is it only require for one sink or do you want it to heat the water for your entire house. Some single point tankless water heaters available include the Chronomite Instant Flow SR, Stiebel Eltron Point of Use, and Eemax Single Point. A flow controlled tankless water heater is good for two water fixtures, such as two sinks. A thermostatic tankless water boosts the water temperature for long pipes that may connect to your sanitation or dishwashers.

The following models can be used to produce hot water for your entire house even outdoors. They include the Rheem Indoor Gas Fired Tankless water heater, Stiebel Eltron Tempra, and Eemax EX280T2T series 3 tankless water heaters.

Despite the fact that tankless water heaters are very energy efficient they do come with some high start up costs. Though the cost of purchasing and installing a system is offset by the sayings you will receive by using a tankless hot water system. You may need to install some electrical outlets to power the electronics and fan involved and if you use a gas fueled model then you will need to have proper ventilation. Tankless water heaters also should be cleaned once a year to get rid of any calcium buildup.

There are some disadvantages to the tankless water heater in that the temperature of the water is inconsistent. If you only need a trickle of warm water then there is a chance that the heat exchanger will not turn on and heat the water. It also takes some time to heat up the water so tankless systems do not provide immediate hot water. Since many tankless systems are electric you will not have hot water if the power goes out.